RALEIGH, N.C. — A few pieces of the National AIDS Memorial Quilt are on display in North Carolina. 

These panels travel around the country, raising awareness and honoring lives lost from AIDS. Panels were placed on display Friday in Raleigh to mark World AIDS Day. 

“We bring the quilt back to remember those who have gone before us,” Jimmy Gibbs said. “Those pioneers, those legacy folks and our ancestors that paved the way for us today.”

Gibbs says it brings up a lot of emotions knowing what the people on this quilt went through.

“It’s more of a celebration,” Gibbs said. “But it is still a little bittersweet because, you know, you’re remembering folks that you knew that have gone on before you, but you have those memories in your mind. And so we are hoping that people bring those memories and make a quilt for their loved ones.”

While the quilt panels are in Raleigh, Gibbs says people will have the opportunity to add to them and keep the memories of their loved ones alive.

Gibbs has spent 41 years as a chaplain. He says he’s seen the full quilt displayed in Washington, D.C. It has almost 110,000 names sewn into 50,000 panels. The two in Raleigh represent faith communities across the state.

“You’ve got all these folks that have had these wonderful, fulfilling lives,” Gibbs said. “And you look at it today and say, you know what? This is awesome.”

Gibbs says he hopes this quilt helps get rid of the stigmas associated with HIV and AIDS. He wants to celebrate those who have made it through and are living and thriving with HIV.

“That’s what brings really tears to my eyes,” Gibbs said. “Because people that I’ve seen in those dire situations in the ’80s and ’90s, they look amazing now. And so we knew that day would come, that we would not lose everyone. But those that we did lose, we want to remember them in some meaningful way. But those that are continuing to live and thrive and survive and be on their own and do good work, then we want to celebrate them, as well.”

The quilt panels will be on display at the Blount Street Community Center through Sunday. People are invited to make panels for the quilt to add names of loved ones Thursday through Saturday.